Minnesota All-Terrain Vehicle Master Plan
About the Project
This Statewide Strategic Plan will identify strategies to enhance the ATV program of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and address growing demand for ATV opportunities while considering the long-term environmental and financial impacts of trail development. Plan recommendations will be informed by a thorough existing conditions assessment, multiple public engagement sessions, and a robust statewide spatial analysis that incorporates social, environmental, and infrastructure data.
The final plan will include:
- Trail inventory and existing system audit
- ATV usership trends analysis
- Maintenance and funding recommendations to ensure future trail viability
- Economic impact estimates of ATV activity in Minnesota
- Sustainable trail development recommendations
- Trail development and connectivity opportunity analysis
- Program, policy, and process recommendations
Project Process
Project Startup
The Project Startup phase includes the development of project contacts lists and a project website. It also includes a review of past planning efforts and initial data gathering for later phases of the project.
Project Startup
The Project Startup phase includes the development of project contacts lists and a project website. It also includes a review of past planning efforts and initial data gathering for later phases of the project.
Engagement
The Engagement Phase includes several public and stakeholder engagement opportunities. This phase stretches through most of the planning process and includes two public surveys, a series of focus groups and stakeholder meetings, as well as a meeting with members and directors of ATV Minnesota. The survey results can be found in the upper right-hand corner of this page!
Inventory
The Inventory Phase includes a thorough data collection exercise that will result in a comprehensive database of existing ATV trail alignments and characteristics supporting enhanced management and decision-making. The planning team will engage with land managers and trail administrators to build out the quantitative and qualitative trail database.
Analysis
The Analysis Phase includes a robust spatial analysis that incorporates a variety of social, environmental, and infrastructure data. This analysis will help us identify areas of potentially suitable land for ATV trail development, as well as areas where sensitive natural communities or land management may present constraints. This phase also includes an economic impact analysis and an analysis of future maintenance needs and costs.
Plan Documentation
The Plan Documentation phase is where findings from the engagement, inventory, and analysis phases come together to form strategies and recommendations. During this phase we will identify trail development opportunities, economic development strategies, and funding requirements for future trail construction and maintenance.
Click here to see the visioning survey results!
Key Stakeholder Themes
Focus Group Recordings
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This purpose of this session was to better understand the needs, desires, and concerns of communities experiencing ATV use and the impacts it presents. The desired outcome from these sessions was to grow our understanding of existing perceptions and existing conditions while building a foundation for future project involvement and partnerships between participants.
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The purpose of this session was to identify and better understand the needs and challenges of future ATV use in the state for ATV users, Minnesota residents, and the areas directly impacted by ATV use. The desired outcome from these sessions was to grow our understanding of existing conditions and needs to identify appropriate next steps relating to planning, development, enforcement, protection, and programming. These groups were also intended to build a foundation for future project involvement and partnerships between participants.